Use Martha Stewart's Compost Recipe For Bountiful Fruit Trees

Lots of experts say compost tea is the secret to a lush, pest-free garden. According to garden maven Martha Stewart, this liquid extracted from your compost pile can also help fruit trees thrive. In addition to promoting general well-being, it may encourage the trees to produce more bountiful harvests. As Rhonda Sherman, director of North Carolina State University's Compost Learning Lab, told MarthaStewart.com, "If you're growing a vegetable, fruit, or a flowering ornamental, for example, there's going to be more of those fruits, vegetables, and flowers if you're using this tea." That's because it prompts plant-enhancing microorganisms to flourish. Stewart suggests home gardeners start with a non-aerated tea-making method. You just need clean water, finished compost, and a 5-gallon bucket.

The first step in brewing compost tea is making sure your compost is up to snuff. Stewart has several tips for beginners starting their first compost bins. One is incorporating carbon-containing brown materials and nitrogen-rich green materials. An equal volume of browns and greens is a good starting point, though some experts say a 2:1 ratio of browns to greens is best over time. Dried leaves, wood chips, and other expired plant matter are browns, and greens include recently clipped grass blades and plant-based kitchen waste like banana peels and vegetable skins. Aerating the center of the compost pile is also key. A rotating tumbler such as the Hourleey 43-gallon dual-chamber tumbling compost bin makes this task easy. If the microorganisms in any part of the pile don't receive enough oxygen, a rancid scent may develop. Aeration also helps the pile decompose efficiently. Finished compost looks dark brown, smells like soil, and feels crumbly.

To make non-aerated compost tea, you'll need 1 to 2 cups of compost for every gallon of water. Consider using a mesh sack to hold the compost, which can minimize cleanup. Also make sure your water doesn't contain chlorine. Let tap water sit for a full day before making compost tea with it. This allows any chlorine to dissipate. Then bag your compost and place it in your 5-gallon bucket. The sack is your teabag and the bucket is your teacup. After pouring room-temperature water over the sack, shield the bucket from sunlight and heat as the tea brews. Mix the bucket's contents once a day for a week. When the week is over, your tea is ready. 

Want a faster way to brew compost tea? Try the aerated method, which takes two days. It's the same as the non-aerated method, except that you place an aquarium air pump in the bucket to help the compost's microorganisms multiply faster. The AquaMiracle aquarium air pump bubbler aerator is one option.

When making compost tea for her potted citrus trees, Martha Stewart uses a high-end brewing system. To reap some of its benefits on a budget, incorporate fish and seaweed fertilizers, like Stewart does. If you're using about 8 cups of compost and 4 gallons of water, stir in 2 cups of 2-4-1 fertilizer and 2 cups of 2-3-1 fertilizer. Neptune's Harvest 2-4-1 fish fertilizer and 2-3-1 fish and seaweed fertilizer are reliable choices. Use aerated compost tea right after turning off the air pump, as the microbe population may plummet soon afterward. 

Compost tea is handy because you can water your fruit trees with it rather than mixing it into the soil. This saves time and energy. If you want a fruit tree to grow faster, pour compost tea on the soil surrounding its base, delivering nutrients to its roots as quickly as possible. If you're more focused on disease and pest prevention, spray compost tea on the tree's foliage. A backpack sprayer, such as the SideKing 3.2-gallon rechargeable battery-powered sprayer, is helpful if you have several trees to spray. If applying compost tea to a potted fruit tree, a watering can or spray bottle will do.

Martha Stewart recommends giving compost tea to fruit trees every week or two. She integrates this task into her usual hydration schedule so her trees don't get waterlogged. In addition to promoting root rot, overwatering prevents trees from absorbing enough oxygen. It's also important to use clean containers for brewing and delivering compost tea. Otherwise, harmful microbes may multiply in your next batch, creating health hazards for you and your fruit trees. 

If making compost at home isn't feasible, buying a small amount for tea brewing is a possibility. Gantessa Stone premium organic screened compost comes in manageable 2-pound bags. Alternatively, you can purchase finished compost tea such as Planet Earth natural compost tea blend. Be sure to dilute this product by following the directions on the package. Or nourish your garden with another DIY fertilizer tea by soaking grass clippings in water for several days, then water your trees with the liquid.